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14-GW Itaipu hydro plant breaks own annual generation record

The 14-GW Itaipu hydro plant has broken its own annual generation record, surpassing its 2013 yearly output record of 98.6 TWh on Dec. 16.
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The 14-GW Itaipu hydro plant has broken its own annual generation record, surpassing its 2013 yearly output record of 98.6 TWh on Dec. 16.

Plant operator Itaipu Binacional says it is within sight of overhauling the global mark set by the 22.5-GW Three Gorges hydroelectric facility in China, according to BNamericas. The record for electricity generated at this facility in a calendar year is 98.8 TWh, set in 2014.

Jorge Samek, Brazilian director general of Itaipu, said the plant benefited from better operating efficiency and higher rainfall.

Itaipu is on the border between Brazil and Paraguay. More than 75% of Paraguay’s electricity comes from the plant, and it supplies about 17% of Brazil’s electricity needs. The project began operating in May 1984.

BNamericas reports that, as of August 2016, hydropower accounted for 73.3% of the energy matrix in Brazil.